Being a Chinese one would be encouraged by a heartening market scene instead of having a sense of loss or grief of heart when shopping with a myriad of Chinese goods "Made in China" in sight in markets of Europe. This is because a singularly European goods-dominated market as of old is no more. Chinese goods have been put to sale in a multitude of medium- and small-sized shops and department stores and these have even been made available in many large shopping centers, supermarkets and plazas in various EU countries.
"Made in China" Makes Good Debut
In many a varied shops, stores and supermarkets in Paris 13th District and Chinese-inhabited 19th District "Made in China" commodities seem to have been in their biggest stock ranging from handicrafts, silks, clothing and porcelain to an unspecified variety of fruits, seafood, soy sauce and vinegar, amongst the others. Motley "Made in China" goods also seen no lack in such large name-brand supermarkets as Carrefour, Continent, Auchan, Lafayette and BHV. Among the sundries are not merely those of traditional items as children's toys, alarms, wallets but also a large array of DVD, tape recorders, microwave stoves, telephone sets, electronic printers, dusters, water heaters, electric irons, fruit presses, air conditioners and the like to compete for brilliance. Sliding boards as those are now in vogue in Europe have also been among the various products imported from China without doubt. We should say a great change has been wrought to China's commodity mix and these have come to claim wide fame in markets of EU countries
In the words of a seasoned insider dealing in household electric appliances in Europe, "Made in China" household electric appliances are pale no more beside their European counterparts and are even better than those from the ROK and Japan not to say a highly competitive level of their pricing. When should man-made trade barriers be removed on the part of the Western countries Chinese goods would assuredly be provided a highly competitive promising market.
"Made in China" an Omnipresent Sight
A friend told me that when he first alighted in France only two commodities were found available from China: one was pingpong balls and the other small alarms. But in a decade of time a different market scene has been presented in French markets: Lots of commodities are from China and in many a varied colorful varieties. And this is just as he said in a happy mood: a Chinese friend of his once went to buy a suitcase and at length got one much to his liking from among a wide motley of suitcases at BHV. But when he opened and looked into his new suitcase bought he was totally amazed and happily found it was just one "Made in China" in the way as a Chinese shopper does from a Occidental market abroad.
In June this year, a large-size aviation exhibition was staged in Paris. Unexpectedly, a "Made in China" packsack well designed and of multi-function to serve a multiple purpose as of carrying reference material, handset, camera etc. had turned out to be a fancy present honoring every visitor. With this there was also a "Made in China" tape recorder bought incidentally and totally unexpected by this reporter of People's Daily Online among a wide choice of name brands from many a varied world exporters and manufacturers including China. This stands to say, as things are now with market sales in EU countries, "Made in China" has become a name brand enjoying great appeal to overseas Chinese customers and their foreign counterparts in Europe.
Advance on a Circuitous Route
Though things for Chinese goods are no longer as in the past yet for trade barriers erected on the part of Europe most major Chinese goods have been excluded from EU markets. TV set is one along with many others altogether 36 varieties of commodities being discriminated against because of "anti-dumping". About 10 percent of Chinese exports have thus been affected incurring an annual loss of over three billion US dollars.
Irrespective of a grim situation and difficulties found, the Chinese producers and traders are still making unremitting efforts to win a market share for their products in Europe and the whole world. Relying on their economic strength there are already a number of Chinese producers having got a foothold in European markets. Typical are Chunlan, Haier, Yuanda, Lehua and Qingdao. With manufacturing bases built in Europe, they have by their top-quality products won due market shares in Europe. To a multitudinous number of European customers, Qingdao beer has become a favorite drink indispensable. Chunlan, Haier, Yuanda and suchlike name brands have been made hot commodity items widely accepted by customers in EU markets.
Meanwhile, a circuitous route is being taken by Chinese traders and producers in order to open up the "forbidden areas" of Europe. They have had production bases launched in the heartland of EU in the way products are locally produced and sold along with a development of production and export of accessories from home in spite of various obstacles placed by EU. To this, some success has been made by Guangzhou Lehua Electronics Company in France. On the basis of a merger with a local producer it has a manufacturing center of its own launched with a production capacity of 500,000 TV sets sold all over Europe, Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to an annual worth of 360 million Francs. Steps are also being taken by other Chinese manufactories to learn from Lehua especially taking into account China' imminent entry into the WTO and the fine market prospects promising Chinese exports.
Excluding external problems, a timely solution to some internal problems also has to be found since Chinese products want a market share in Europe. Problems such as competing for price cuts, viewing things in a shortsighted way not from a long-term view of interest, acquiescing in fraudulence in agent business to the neglect of the effect of name brands, perfunctory work and incompetence of working personnel stationed abroad must all be summarily solved. These are problems that demand special attention on the part of Chinese producers and traders as taboos that have to be shied away from.
( November 23, 2001)
